- Title: RUSSIA: Police arrest protesters as parliament passes gay propaganda law
- Date: 11th June 2013
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 11, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF RUSSIAN STATE DUMA PEOPLE ENTERING DUMA AS PROTESTER STANDS NEAR ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF BANNER READING IN RUSSIAN 'DEPUTIES! WHICH PARADE WILL YOUR CHILDREN TAKE PART IN?' PARLIAMENT SESSION IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DUMA DEPUTY ELENA MIZULINA, SAYING: "This is a separate law of the Russian Federation to p
- Embargoed: 26th June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Crime,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA75N7M9U237VRQFS0MD0S0PFRW
- Story Text: Russian police detained more than 20 gay rights activists after scuffles with anti-gay demonstrators outside parliament on Tuesday (June 11) as lawmakers prepared to pass a bill banning homosexual "propaganda".
The gay rights activists protested against the bill, one of a series of socially conservative measures winning support in the Kremlin-controlled parliament during President Vladimir Putin's third term.
The State Duma, or lower house of parliament, passed the bill in the second reading and was expected to have a final vote later in the day, ignoring Western warnings that it curbs basic freedoms and concerns among activists that it is fuelling hate attacks on homosexuals.
"This is a separate law of the Russian Federation to protect children from information propagating the denial of traditional family values," Duma deputy and the author of the bill, Elena Mizulina, said on Tuesday while addressing the deputies. "It outlaws the spreading of information aimed at forming non-traditional sexual attitudes among children, attractiveness of non-traditional sexual relations, a distorted perception of social equality between traditional and non-traditional sexual relations. And second, (it outlaws) the imposition of information about non-traditional sexual relations which may cause interest in them among children."
The bill was passed in a second reading with an overwhelming majority - only one voted against and one abstained.
"What will the benefit of it be? What will be the benefit? How can you define these issues? I think the state should very carefully deal with ideology. Different kinds of ideology. You understand, we are entering a certain ideological sphere here, where we have to define what traditional family values are and what non-traditional ones are. Who will define that? An official from a government department?" deputy Alexei Mitrofanov, who did not support the bill, said.
Meanwhile, the protesters outside the parliament were far outnumbered by around 200 hundred anti-gay activists who surrounded them, singing Orthodox Christian prayers and crossing themselves.
"We are against a homosexual lobby in our country. I am here because I am against it. I am against homosexuals and their very existence. Not only in Russia, but in the rest of the world. You see what's happening in Europe and how they live freely there. I don't want our country to repeat the fate of Europe," said anti-gay protester Vladislav standing outside the State Duma with a poster reading 'Deputies, protect the people from perverts'.
Anti-gay activists chanted "Russia is not Sodom" and shouted obscenities at small groups of protesters.
"We are all protesting en masse against this... I would like to not call them names, but I have to - against faggots who walk on our land in our country. We, as the future of our nation, as the future of Russia, are gathering here to say that we are against such people walking on our land. You can't even call them people really," anti-gay activist Renat said.
After scuffles in which one man was knocked to the ground and kicked by a group of anti-gay activists, police began detaining the gay rights activists and bundling them into waiting buses.
Activist Masha Gessen said she was among 24 people being taken to police stations. Moscow police, who did not restrain the anti-gay activists, said about 20 people were detained.
The bill, whose stated purpose is to "protect children from information propagandizing the rejection of traditional family values", would impose heavy fines for violations.
Gay activists said they would never support the bill - a nation-wide version of laws in place in several cities including Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg - which would in effect ban all gay rights rallies and could be used to prosecute anyone voicing support for gays.
"Of course I will never support this law. Because this law outlaws a certain group of people. This law divided people into equals and unequals, so same-sex couples automatically fall into a category of the wrong people," gay activist Marta said.
Putin, 60, who has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a moral authority and harnessed its influence as a source of political support, has championed socially conservative values during a six-year third term he started in May 2012.
Activists say violence against gays has increased since Putin returned to the Kremlin after four years as prime minister and is being fuelled by the bill and other aspects of his conservative agenda.
It is unusual for Russian authorities to link crimes with homophobia, but investigators have said anti-gay hate was the motive in the brutal murders of two men in the past month, one in eastern Russia and one in the southern city of Volgograd.
Putin told European Union leaders at a summit last week that Russia does not discriminate against gays and called its legislation on gay rights issues "quite liberal", but he has criticised gays for failing to add to the population.
He said he would back a ban on the adoption of Russian children by same-sex foreign couples, which is expected to be enacted later this year. Cities including Moscow regularly deny gay rights activists permission to hold rallies. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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